“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. John 14:27 (NLT)

Peace. We all seek it, yet it so often eludes us. We desperately desire peace in the midst of life’s storms and the chaos that interrupts our stillness doesn’t even so much as give us a head’s up that we’re entering a battle zone! Even though our souls crave peace, there are many circles where busyness and stress have become badges of honor. Is peace the absence of chaos or do we need to reevaluate our definition?

I recently had a three-minute conversation with an old friend and walked away with such an epiphany that it has changed my approach to sharing the gospel and teaching God’s Word. My friend and I have had multiple conversations over the years about her struggle with the craziness in her life. She just couldn’t seem to find peace. My thought process was always something like, “You’ve got four boys and your husband works long hours; what do you expect! You’re just setting yourself up for disappointment if you even think peace is an option!” But her four kids and busy husband were never the dilemma.

She shared that she’d recently started studying Romans and one day it dawned on her that she would never have the calm peaceful life she was imagining. There will be busy schedules, unexpected illnesses, drama and set-backs but Jesus didn’t die to give us peace in life’s circumstances; He died to give us peace with God. But trust me, that eternal peace does have temporal benefits! I can’t imagine a day without the peace of God ruling and reigning.

He can calm the storms in our life but the greatest, most ominous and perilous storm has been eradicated. Jesus, who knew no sin, became sin so that we could become the righteousness of God. That, my friends, is peace that goes beyond all understanding! He has broken every barrier that would eternally separate us from God.

Living It Out – Jesus IS our peace. We were totally separated from God and He is the peace, the bridge, that brought us back into a right relationship with the One who created and sustains us. Praise Him today for that.